A Snap in Time

Chapter 11 (Adrien)

This website does not exist

Adrien slammed his hands down on the table either side of the keyboard. What the hell did that mean? This website does not exist. He'd seen Alya, he'd seen her with his own eyes. She was chasing the akuma; videoing and narrating as she did. How could it not exist? The girl was obsessed with the heroine.

"Calm, Adrien, last thing you want is to be akumatised." Adrien looked up, meeting his own green eyes with Plagg's. His friend was right, he needed to calm down.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Fu asked, walking over to stand next to Adrien.

The older man had disappeared as Adrien started to load up the ancient machine the guardian called a computer. Plagg and Wayzz had gone with him, only to reappear fifteen minutes later, and a lot less hostile.

"Alya, our fri - a girl at my - a girl who takes videos and posts them on the internet, she's a fan of Ladybug and runs a Ladyblog where she tries to figure out mine and Marinette's identity, and commentates on akuma's and such." Adrien had no idea what to call Alya anymore.

Was she a friend? Technically yes, but she didn't seem to know him.

Did she go to his school? Yes, apart from it seemed Adrien didn't go to school.

As a wave of additional emotions hit him, he took his hands and fisted them in his hair, pulling sharply and letting out a scream. Tears began to flood down his face as he released his hair and fisted his hands on his knees.

"I want to go home," Adrien said quietly, wiping his eyes with the back of his clenched fist. "I want to go home, I want to be with my friends, I want to feel some type of warmth again."

"Listen, buddy, we've been talking, and we think you might be stuck here for a while, if not forever." Plagg came over to his holder and sat stroking his hand, making sure he could maintain eye contact with him.

"I can't stay, I can't do this! The one person who makes me happy, who makes me feel human, the person I love more than anything or anyone else in this world doesn't even know me. She has no idea who I am. She has a boyfriend, and if Luka is anything like our Luka then I have no chance. I've lost the one thing that makes my life worth living. I can't be in a world without Marinette being by my side, without my best friend. I love her, but I know he does too, and I would never forgive myself if I did anything to stop their happily ever after." Plagg took a deep breath, holding his own tears in as he watched Adrien cry. This was his best friend, his best holder, breaking in front of him.

"I'm sorry kid."

Fu walked around and seated himself next to Adrien, pulling the keyboard to one side. He looked at the teen, seeing him differently to mere minutes ago. He began to tap around on the keys before pulling the mouse over too and positioning it where he needed. In the matter of seconds a blog appeared on the screen. It wasn't The Ladyblog but it was close.

The Viperbug Blog

Adrien shot forward, pulling the mouse from his master's hands and clicking through the videos. Fu remained silent as Adrien scrolled through articles and clips of akuma's. There hadn't been a quarter of the amount himself and Ladybug had defeated. Looking at the videos there couldn't have been more than twelve akuma's.

Twelve akuma's in one year? That sounded like paradise.

Looking through them one by one, he found what he was searching for 'Stoneheart'.

He quickly skimmed the article before heading to the video, clicking play and watching intently.

Adrien didn't know what made him go to this one in particular, or why he wanted to see it, but for some reason this was important. In the back of his mind he saw this as the most important moment of their superhero journey.

He saw the news logo on the screen, the reporter discussing the new developments to the situation, as Ladybug and Viperion were discussing something in the background. Viperon was looking backwards and forwards from the news crews to Ladybug, obviously trying to consider their options. Ladybug, however, was ranting away, arms flapping and eyes wide. Adrien could only imagine what she was talking about in a very Marinette way, but then it happened. Viperion placed his hands on her shoulders and began to talk to her. Adrien leaned in towards the screen hoping the closer proximity would help him hear what they were saying, as if he were actually there.

This was it!

This was the moment he'd fallen in love with her. The moment she made her promise to Paris, this is when Marinette fully became Ladybug. Only that didn't happen. Viperion stepped forward instead. Marinette standing back and watching her partner.

"No!" Adrien shouted at the screen, "No! That's not what happened, that's not how it was meant to be." Adrien continued shouting at the screen as Master Fu placed one hand on the boy's arm, trying to calm him down.

"Tell me then," Fu said, surprisingly calm at the outburst in front of him "what happened?"

Adrien went into a detailed description of the event, of how she wanted to give it all up, how he encouraged her that she could do it and he'd by her side, her speech to Paris, her attack on Hawkmoth, their amazing teamwork and defeat of Stoneheart. The trust, the adoration, the love.

"Tell me, Adrien, where are you from, am I still the guardian?" Adrien shook his head.

"Then who is?"

"Ladybug, but recently we've been having to prove ourselves to Su-Han." Adrien watched as the guardian paled, he shuffled backwards and almost fell off of his seat. His face was one of sheer terror, Wayzz mirroring the actions.

"Su-Han? But how?"

"Feast," Adrien said, matter of factly. "The amok was released bringing the temple back."

Fu stood up and walked around the room, hands dragging across his face, he looked completely out of his depth and Adrien wondered if the man would be able to help him at all. This was not the Master Fu he remembered, the one they both bowed down to.

"An amok? The peacock? It's missing too. It's never been activated though, not for at least fourteen years." Fu began to mumble to himself as he walked around the room. Adrien watched tentatively, unable to understand what this was all about. They've defeated a lot of amoks previously. Amoks and Akuma's ... everything was just a normal day's work as a superhero of Paris.

"Adrien, Chat Noir, do you have a place to stay?" Fu asked nervously, walking back towards Adrien and placing a hand on his arm. Plagg flew up to hover close by, curious for what Fu might say.

"No, well, I don't think I do. Nobody seems to know me."

"I want to try and help," Adrien perked up a little. Help? He needed help. "You're staying with me, and we enroll you in school on Monday. I think ... I think this is bigger than the both of us. I'm going to need your help."

Adrien never asked why Fu thought that, and maybe he should have, however all that was important now was that he could begin to prepare himself. In just over twenty four hours he'd be seeing Marinette again. The excitement of the impending reunion taking Adrien away from the computer screen, and the news alert that was calling out for his attention.

The body of Gabriel Agreste has been found, more news to follow.